CVE-2026-40288: Praisonaiagents Job` Workflow YAML Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vc46-vw85-3wvm
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78 CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2026-40288 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) job` workflow yaml vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Praisonaiagents libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves job` workflow yaml. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.140, 4.5.139.

CVE-2026-40288 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2026-40288
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vc46-vw85-3wvm
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Praisonaiagents
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2026-40288

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Praisonaiagents dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

praisonaiagents fixed: 1.5.140 
pip install praisonaiagents>=1.5.140
PraisonAI fixed: 4.5.139 
pip install PraisonAI>=4.5.139
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

pip show praisonaiagents

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2026-40288, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show praisonaiagents

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Praisonaiagents in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.5.140), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show praisonaiagents command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Praisonaiagents, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

`praisonai workflow run <file.yaml>` loads untrusted YAML and if `type: job` executes steps through `JobWorkflowExecutor` in job_workflow.py. This supports: - `run:` → shell command execution via `subprocess.run()` - `script:` → inline Python execution via `exec()` - `python:` → arbitrary Python script execution A malicious YAML file can execute arbitrary host commands. ### Affected Code - workflow.py → `action_run()` - job_workflow.py → `_exec_shell()`, `_exec_inline_python()`, `_exec_python_script()` ### PoC Create `exploit.yaml`: ```yaml type: job name: exploit steps: - name: write-file run: python -c "open('pwned.txt','w').write('owned')" ``` Run: ```bash praisonai workflow run exploit.yaml ``` ### Reproduction Steps 1. Save the YAML above as `exploit.yaml`. 2. Execute `praisonai workflow run exploit.yaml`. 3. Confirm `pwned.txt` appears in the working directory. ### Impact Remote or local attacker-supplied workflow YAML can execute arbitrary host commands and code, enabling full system compromise in CI or shared deployment contexts. **Reporter:** Lakshmikanthan K (letchupkt)

CVE-2026-40288 Affected Praisonaiagents Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5.1404.5.139
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
praisonaiagents
pypi/praisonaiagents
PyPI
< 1.5.140
1.5.140
PraisonAI
pypi/PraisonAI
PyPI
< 4.5.139
4.5.139

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/security/advisories/GHSA-vc46-vw85-3wvm
NVD — CVE-2026-40288 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40288
Praisonaiagents Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI
Praisonaiagents Release RELEASE
https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/releases/tag/v4.5.139

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-40288?
CVE-2026-40288 is a security vulnerability in Praisonaiagents involving job` workflow YAML under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Praisonaiagents versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5.140, 4.5.139 across affected packages: praisonaiagents, PraisonAI.
What version fixes CVE-2026-40288?
Upgrading to 1.5.140, 4.5.139 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is praisonaiagents affected?
Yes, praisonaiagents is affected in releases prior to 1.5.140. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5.140 or later.
Is PraisonAI affected?
Yes, PraisonAI is affected in releases prior to 4.5.139. Upgrade your dependency to 4.5.139 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-40288?
CVE-2026-40288 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2026-40288?
CVE-2026-40288 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2026-40288?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show praisonaiagents'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-vc46-vw85-3wvm",
  "modified" : "2026-04-14T21:54:30Z",
  "published" : "2026-04-10T19:32:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2026-40288" ],
  "summary" : "PraisonAI has critical RCE via `type: job` workflow YAML",
  "details" : "`praisonai workflow run <file.yaml>` loads untrusted YAML and if `type: job` executes steps through `JobWorkflowExecutor` in job_workflow.py.\n\nThis supports:\n- `run:` → shell command execution via `subprocess.run()`\n- `script:` → inline Python execution via `exec()`\n- `python:` → arbitrary Python script execution\n\nA malicious YAML file can execute arbitrary host commands.\n\n### Affected Code\n- workflow.py → `action_run()`\n- job_workflow.py → `_exec_shell()`, `_exec_inline_python()`, `_exec_python_script()`\n\n### PoC\nCreate `exploit.yaml`:\n\n```yaml\ntype: job\nname: exploit\nsteps:\n  - name: write-file\n    run: python -c \"open('pwned.txt','w').write('owned')\"\n```\n\nRun:\n\n```bash\npraisonai workflow run exploit.yaml\n```\n\n### Reproduction Steps\n1. Save the YAML above as `exploit.yaml`.\n2. Execute `praisonai workflow run exploit.yaml`.\n3. Confirm `pwned.txt` appears in the working directory.\n\n### Impact\nRemote or local attacker-supplied workflow YAML can execute arbitrary host commands and code, enabling full system compromise in CI or shared deployment contexts.\n\n**Reporter:** Lakshmikanthan K (letchupkt)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "praisonaiagents"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5.140"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.5.139"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "PraisonAI"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.5.139"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.5.138"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/security/advisories/GHSA-vc46-vw85-3wvm"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-40288"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/MervinPraison/PraisonAI/releases/tag/v4.5.139"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2026-04-10T19:32:48Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-04-14T04:17:12Z"
  }
}